


Cold(er) Sleep

by Clayp00L



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Coma, Gen, M/M, Old Fic, Sorta spoilers for chapter 6 of Danganronpa v3, all characters make an appearance, implied saiou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:13:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23146756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clayp00L/pseuds/Clayp00L
Summary: What if our protagonists did ultimately give up?
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 56





	Cold(er) Sleep

“Don’t...don’t you care? Why are you doing this to us?”

“You keep asking so many questions, but why don’t you consider your options instead!?”

Options

My options…

What options…?

.a.t.r.i.d 

“Something wrong, Shuichi?”

He hadn’t realized he had put his face in his hands, his body slowly relaxing as Kaede put a hand on his shoulder.

“You can talk to me if you ever need to, you know?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just...thinking. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, but you do look pale. Are you sure you aren’t sick? Maybe Kirumi has something that can help if you want to go and ask.”

Thoughts overlap.

“Maybe I will.”

No. Memories?

Out of habit, he felt himself reach up to cover his face with…what was it? Shyly, he placed both hands on his lap as he stood up.

.o.e

It was just a simple interaction between friends, yet it was strange in its own way. Saihara had passed through the dining room to get a glass of water when he had been greeted by the trio. They continued on after as normal. 

“Ahh, I never expected Angie to be such a good cook!”

“Nyaha! Of course, I’ve wanted to prepare a traditional dish from my island for my friends!” 

“I’m usually not a big fan of fish, but the tuna and avocado are really good…”

Normal…

...had Tenko always been so friendly with Angie like this? 

.a.i.u.a.o.  
.i.a.d.i.t  
.n.o.i.a.e.

A walk through the garden was where he met two familiar faces.

“Makiroll! Look! These plants kinda look like they have snow on them.”

“I see.”

“You know, they say it’s always snowing on Mars. Wouldn’t it be cool to live up there? The Martians must be having a blast!”

“What are you, a dog?”

.l.n.s.  
.s.a.s.n

Curious as to where the sound of hammer on metal was coming from, Shuichi peeked through a door slightly ajar.

“You mind tossing me a ruler or two? Ah— shit, nearly slipped it right through.”

“Ah, over here?”

He watched the robot rummage through a drawer while the more feminine figure sat hunched over a desk, and he felt a familiarly strange tinge of worry, almost disgust. Perhaps he really was getting sick.

.e.f.s.  
.e.f.e.s

“Ah, Shuichi, I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind helping me move these paintings out of the way? I plan on lighting a few candles and it would be a pity if anything were to be set aflame. After all, I’d like to show my gratitude to Angie for letting me borrow her lab since mine simply would not do for this specific ritual.”

Carefully and slowly, Saihara began to move paintings, sculptures, and the various art tools scattered about onto one of the desks available at the side of the room. 

Everything felt off. Out of place. 

.i.l.r

“I thought you weren’t a fan of tennis?”

“Well, I can’t say I suddenly am. I can’t say I hate it either though, especially not when someone like Kirumi asks for a lesson.”

“Yes, I can’t say I wasn’t hesitant, but it has been a while since I’ve allowed myself time to do more...extracurricular activities.”

Somehow, seeing Kirumi swing in Hoshi’s direction made him uneasy.

.a.r.f.c.  
.e.d.r

“My favorite place? Well, maybe Italy, but Greece has a special place in my heart too.”

Then what are you doing here?

“I’d love to take my sisters again one day. Well, once I find them. The weather was especially nice, not to mention the lemon perfumes that one city was known for. Which was it…?”

Then what are you waiting for?

.y.t.r.

“Ouma, I...didn’t know you liked bugs…?”

With a sigh, Ouma shook the remaining dirt off the thick leather gloves he was wearing and stretched his arms. 

“It’s not that I like bugs, Gonta just needed some help with the gardening portion of the enclosure. Make no mistake: Kokichi Ouma is keeping a safe distance from the bugs!”

“Ah, is that so…”

“Gonta ask Kokichi for help, and, um, Gonta really grateful knowing how scared Kokichi is of bug friends.”

“Hey! You don’t have to be so upfront about it. Anyways, what’s up with you, hat boy? Why so glum?”

“Ah, um, I suppose I haven’t been feeling well…”

“Back to our old selves, are we?”

Our old selves?

No. Something is missing. 

“What do you mean?”

Someone.

“Nothing important.”

That’s right. Nothing. 

.i.r  
.a.v.

Is this really okay?

Is he really okay?

I’m trying to be happy.

Are you sure he’s happy?

I can’t go on like this.

How long can this keep up?

Something is wrong.

Kaede, Kokichi, and Kaito stood over his still body, watching absently as the various monitors surrounding the bed kept on their consistent blinking and low beeping. In the back of the room, Tsumugi was leaning against the wall, quickly typing on her phone before seeming to finish and send. 

“Well, as of right now, there isn’t much we can really do. Even if we wanted to, we hadn’t designed the program to have any emergency escape or anything” Tsumugi sighed, waving her phone to the group so that a text conversation could be seen on the screen.

“So…?” Kaede started. 

“So he’ll have to leave by himself? Probably” Tsumugi answered flatly. 

“But how do we know if he’s okay? Don’t you even care?” Kaito asked suddenly, the gruffness in his voice making Kaede shift slightly, Kokichi instead furrowing his brows slightly as if in thought. 

“Listen, I don’t have control over any of this. I can’t work the program, I’ve tried, I’ve been making calls, trying to get someone. All it is now is a waiting game of hoping Shuichi comes through or we somehow get to him first.”

“How do we know he’ll come through like you keep saying he can?” Ouma asked incredulously.

“Well the whole program was designed to rehabilitate, so if he’ll end up gravitating to wherever he feels the most content. He can stay in that virtual world without the trauma, or eventually overcome living in a fantasy and realize...well, whichever he prefers, really” Tsumugi finished, her face strangely calm considering the heavy feeling in the room. 

After a few more long minutes of pestering followed by Tsumugi’s excuses, as well as a few more calls to what remained of Team DR, the trio decided there wasn’t much else for them to do.

“I feel almost guilty leaving him again” Kaede said slowly, her eyes noticeably wet from emotion. 

“Yeah, like Tsumugi said though, there isn’t anything we can do. Team DR is basically useless, no, nonexistent, and we have even less means of helping. It’s better we just go and get some rest” Kaito said reassuringly, pressing a firm hand on Kaede’s shoulder. 

“Ahh, I’m afraid for once Kaito is right” Kokichi hummed, stretching an arm behind his head as he felt Kaito shoot him a weak glare. “We can come back tomorrow, or whenever, really. We’ll figure this out, and find someone to pull him out of it.”

With Kokichi’s reassurance, Kaede and Kaito called a taxi to take them back to their homes, under the impression that Kokichi planned to wait for a friend to give him a ride. Instead, Kokichi stayed. 

Pulling up one of the hardly cushioned chairs available in the rather spacious yet bare room, he sat down, positioning himself in front of Shuichi’s sleeping body.

He needed to think, but it was hard to think when he was staring at his old classmates unconscious form, lips slightly parted and eyes covered by the headset.

Not wanting to touch him, more out of respect than anything else, Kokichi rested his head in his palm and studied Shuichi’s face. The way his bangs were combed out of his face, courtesy of Kaede who fretted about what he would do if a hair tickled his nose and he had to sneeze. It led Kokichi to propose that maybe that kind of reaction would snap him out of the system. The memory of it made him smile. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

.w.k.

Kokichi woke up with a start, looking around the dark room, only to see the bright red numbers of a bedside alarm clock reading “3:01 AM.” Barely registering the hand that had been placed over his own, he jumped at the sound of a hoarse voice.

“Kokichi…?” 

With a gasp, Kokichi quickly fumbled to find the switch to a small lamp near the bed. Once it was on, he could finally see as Saihara winced slightly at the change in lighting. He was bedraggled with shadows under his eyes, but he had managed to take off the headset and was sitting up. Despite everything, he had a weary smile on his face. 

“You- you finally came out of it? You’re finally okay?” Kokichi asked, quickly leaning forward to grab both of Shuichi’s hands as if he had to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. 

“Can I have some water?” came the scratchy voiced response.

Kokichi nearly burst into tears.

**Author's Note:**

> Ysghdhdhhd this is a kinda old and half assed fic, I just wanted something to post since I haven’t been able to as of late


End file.
